Unboxed
by PopeHD
Summary: Beginning in Season 3 Episode 12 "Boxed In", this story follows Tony and Ziva during the events of that fateful day and beyond, but this time something different occurs. Something that would set in motion a chain of events that would alter their lives forever. Tiva AU
1. Chapter 1

_Hi, everyone. This story begins in Season 3, Episode 12 "Boxed In". I recommend that you watch the episode after you read this so that you can understand what I'm referencing to, or (If you an NCIS junkie like me) you know it all by heart. Have you ever looked back on something and wondered how different it would've ended if just one small detail changed? Ever wonder about the chain of events that it could cause? Well, let's find out, shall we?_

**Chapter I**

_0613 hours, Bullpen, NCIS HQ, Washington Navy Yard_

Being alone in the elevator, the ride was quiet and peaceful. A loud _ding, _followed by the doors opening, signaled that he'd arrived at his destination. Tony took a sip of his coffee as he stepped out into the bullpen. _I hate Mondays. _As he rounded the corner to his desk, he glanced over at McGee's desk and noticed the Probie busily typing away on his computer. "Morning, Probie," Tony tossed his bag down next to his desk, "What cha doin'?"

McGee jumped slightly at the intrusion. "Tony," McGee was temporarily flustered as looked back and forth from Tony and his computer screen, "I'm just finishing up my paperwork from our last case. Any idea why Gibbs has us here so early?"

Tony's grin stretched from ear to ear before he gave a short, slightly over-exaggerated laugh. He plopped into his chair and propped his feet up on his desk, "Oh yeah! I forgot about that case. A hot super model drugged by her own father...who saw that coming? Am I right?!"

McGee gave him a surprised look. "How could you forget about it? We just solved it last week!"

Tony leaned back in his chair, "I finished my paperwork over the weekend. That and I had a pretty great night last night. A couple guys trying to kill each other, beer, and hot chicks in bikinis…must've slipped my mind."

Now the Probie was even more bewildered than he was a few seconds ago. "Where the hell were you last night?"

DiNozzo inwardly smirked. He loved messing with McGee. "Wrestling match in D.C. One of my buddies had tickets and invited me along. You shoulda been there, McGee, you woulda loved it!"

McGee rolled his eyes and went back to typing his report. "I doubt it. Besides…I was busy last night."

That statement peaked Tony's curiosity. "Busy doing what, exactly?"

McGee opened his mouth to answer, but Gibbs beat him to it. "None of your business, DiNozzo."

Tony sat up straight at Gibbs' sudden appearance. _Should've seen that coming. "_Mornin', Boss!"

Gibbs strolled through the bullpen throwing glances at both of them as he made his way behind his desk. He pulled out his chair, but paused and stared at Ziva's empty desk, "Where the hell is, David?"

Tony and McGee exchanged glances and silently nodded to each other, communicating that neither of them knew where she was. Tony spoke first, "No idea, boss."

McGee joined in, "I haven't seen her this morning. Do you want me to give her a call, boss?"

Gibbs glared at McGee with a look could melt ice.

McGee took the hint and reached for his phone, "I'll call her now."

"There is no need," Ziva rounded the corner into the bullpen, "There was an accident on my route to work and I got caught in the traffic."

She set her bag down next to her desk and was in the process of taking off her jacket when Gibbs interrupted her, "You might want to keep that on."

Ziva paused and glanced at him curiously.

Her jacket was unzipped and hanging halfway down her shoulders. Tony took this opportunity to examine her body head to toe. _She's not wearing a bra… I wonder if she does that every day?_ He made a mental note to be more observant tomorrow. He knew it was against both NCIS' and Gibbs' rules to date a coworker, but there wasn't a rule against looking… and his partner had a lot to look at.

He was broken out of his thoughts when he heard McGee ask, "Do we have a case, boss?"

Gibbs stared at Ziva for a few seconds before he turned to address everyone in the bullpen. "Got a tip from our European Field Office about a possible illegal arms shipment that came into Norfolk. Intel says they were being transported on a ship coming from West Africa. DiNozzo, David, go to Norfolk Port Authority. Examine the cargo of every ship that arrived this week with West African registration."

Ziva zipped up her jacket and grabbed her go bag.

Tony did the same and grabbed his Sig out of his desk drawer before heading out. Ziva was hot on his heels when he boarded the elevator. He heard Gibbs tell McGee to call around to some of the other agencies to see if they had any information that could help them narrow down the search. Tony couldn't help but to smile at the Probie's misfortune. Tony hated manning the phones instead of being out of the field and was glad the task fell to McGee instead of him.

Ziva noticed him smiling and gave him a curious glance. "Why are you in such a pleasant mood?"

Still smiling, Tony said, "Oh, no reason."

**. . .**

_0857 hours, Norfolk Port Authority, Northeast Expansion, exactly 36 minutes after being locked in the storage container_

Tony broke eye contact before finishing his sentence, "…for Gibbs. Trust me. He'll find us." He heard Ziva let out a long sigh before he watched her slump against the wall and slowly slide down to the floor. She was angry, frustrated, and scared, though she would never admit to the last one.

She looked at the floor and spoke softly, "I believe you. The question is, will it be before we freeze to death?"

Tony leaned against the wall and threw her a sideways glance. He knew she was being a little over dramatic, but he also knew that freezing to death wasn't the worst thing that could happen to them in their current situation. _We need to stay busy. It'll keep our minds off of…well you know. _"They wanted this container for a reason," he stated. She looked up to meet his gaze, her eyes filled with curiosity. "Why don't we go through these crates? Who knows... maybe we'll find something that'll help us get out of here."

Ziva nodded her head in agreement. "I do not see any harm in that."

Tony gave her the biggest grin he could muster. "See, that's the spirit! You take these three and I'll take the ones on the end." He extended a hand and helped her back onto her feet. "Maybe one of these crates will have the latest edition of GSM in it."

Ziva just rolled her eyes at him.

Tony ignored her gesture. He figured that having her annoyed at him was better than her panicking. "I'll share it with you. Better yet, we can read it together!"

Ziva glared daggers at him. "In your dreams, DiNozzo." She turned to the crate in front of her.

Tony chuckled. _In my dreams, we're doing Page 57._

**. . .**

_0922 hours, storage container, shortly after Tony opened his second crate of movies_

Tony stared curiously over the crate of movies. Thinking out loud, he said, "Where are the small arms?" _It doesn't make any sense. _"I mean, why would they shoot at us over copies of _Kuch Kuch Hoda Hai_?"

Ziva turned on him immediately. "Does it matter? We need to get out of here, Tony."

Tony just answered very nonchalantly, "Yeah, yeah. I heard you the first fifty times you said it." _Maybe she's Claustrophobic?_ He wheeled around, shining his flashlight in her face. He caught her unprepared and she raised a hand to shield her eyes. He got a slight feeling of amusement in doing so. "You're not Claustrophobic, are you?"

She quickly turned away answering, "No," before she got down on all fours to examine the bottom of the door.

He turned back to his movies and in his best Indian voice joked, "Because that would be another nail in da shoe of my day!"

Ziva ignored him and continued to examine the door for way out. "What if we blow a hole in the bottom of this door near where the bolt is?"

_Stupid idea being locked inside a metal box and all. _Sarcastically, he asked, "For what," in French.

She continued thinking out loud, "It might enable us to jam something under and force it open." She hopped up and set her flashlight down on the box behind him.

Tony ignored her, thinking she was going to look around the container for something to jam underneath the door, giving him time to explain why that was a bad idea. Unbeknownst to him, Ziva was already drawing her weapon as he began to say, "Not liking it. Firing a bullet in here, it's bound to ricochet…"

**BANG!**

Tony jumped at the sound of the gunshot. Completely taken by surprise by the fact that his partner would do something so stupid. Before he had time to react, something hit him like a freight train and knocked him to the floor. The air rushed out of his lungs as his partner landed on top of him, shielding him from her mistake. "Ahhh…haaa. As I was saying, there's a good chance the bullet might ricochet and KILL one of us!" His words were filled with anger.

"Sorry," she responded.

He took a heavy breath. "Why are you on top of me?"

"I am protecting you, Tony."

He detected a hint of annoyance in her voice. As if, she hadn't almost just gotten him killed. "Don't."

She gently rotated her hips while saying, "Well, you didn't seem to mind when we were undercover…"

_Oh, so she's gonna go this route? She thinks that she can flirt her way out of what she just did. _"Well that might have something to do with the fact that you were NAKED," he quipped.

She finally pulled her face out of his shoulder and held it about an inch away from his face. Her voice dropped dangerously low and her face softened. "Perhaps if it were warmer in here…"

She stared into his eyes and dangled her lips dangerously close to his. Her breath was warm against his skin. Any other day, Tony would've had to fight the urge to kiss her, but not today. Not after the stunt she just pulled. "Huh? Let me rephrase the question. Why are you STILL on top of me?" The weight of his partner's body was starting to cause some pain in his midsection.

She didn't answer his question. Instead, she just hung there. Silently undressing him with her eyes. Teasing him as she often did. Several tense seconds passed before Ziva finally relented and stood, but even with the weight lifted Tony still couldn't breathe. He watched Ziva holster her weapon and begin brushing herself off. He just laid there trying to catch his breath. He looked up at Ziva again, but this time something caught his eye. "Hey, what's that on your jacket?"

She looked down to examine the substance on her coat. She ran a hand over it and eyed it carefully. "It's blood," she said in a quiet tone.

"Are you hurt?" He tried to sit up so he could examine his partner, but he immediately collapsed back onto the floor with a hot, searing pain shooting through his midsection. His hands instinctively went to where the pain was coming from and he could feel something wet coat his hands. He didn't have to look to know what it was. He looked up at Ziva.

She was frozen in place... the blood draining from her face. "What have I done?"

**. . .**

_I hate cliffhangers as much as you guys do, but what kind of author would I be if I didn't hook your attention in the first chapter? How will this development alter the history of NCIS, I wonder? I guess you'll just have to stick around to find out won't cha! In the meantime, follow, favorite, and leave a review. Reviews are the main source of motivation for me to write, the more I receive, the quicker the next chapter comes out. Also, if you guys have any questions feel free to ask me in a review and I'll answer you in the author's notes of the next chapter, or you guys can pm me and I'll answer you as soon as I check my email. Until next time…_

_Updated 4/14/20: Minor grammar and spelling fixes_


	2. Chapter 2

_Hello, everybody! Apologies for taking so long to update, but I went on vacation for three weeks. I took my laptop to do some writing, but my dumbass forgot the charger and it died on the plane so I didn't get a chance to export the files. I'll make sure it doesn't happen again. I had trouble writing this because of the amount of ideas floating around in my head. There are so many ways this story could go and I can be indecisive sometimes. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter._

**Chapter II**

Ziva watched as Tony desperately tried to stop the bleeding. He stared up at her and the look in his eyes hurt her more than any bullet ever could. "What have I done?" She knelt down beside him. "Oh no! Tony! I am so sorry! I…I did not mean to…"

Tony was shaking his head in disbelief. "You…you shot me!"

She reached down and tried to move his hands, but when she did Tony screamed in pain. She jerked her hands away as quickly as she could.

"Easy there, Freddy Kruger!"

"SORRY! Sorry!" She went to move his hands again, but this time she hesitated. "Tony, listen…I know you are in pain, but you need to move your hands so that I can take a look." Tony shook his head no. Ziva gently placed a hand on his cheek and spoke softly "I cannot help you if you will not let me, Tony." Tony reluctantly lifted his hands and she gently pushed his jacket up revealing a jagged bullet hole in his lower left abdomen. Blood was slowly gushing out. She carefully wiped away the blood around the wound to examine it. "The bullet did not penetrate very deep. I do not think it hit anything major, but if we do not stop this bleeding…" _You will die. _She pushed that thought to the back of her mind. She needed to focus on the task at hand. She reached around and checked his back. "No exit wound." She wiped away some more blood and could see the bullet, very briefly, about an inch and a half deep. She grabbed his hands and gently placed them back on the wound.

"So, what's the diagnosis, Doctor David?"

Ziva sat back on her heels and used her sleeve to wipe her forehead. "I have to remove the bullet. It is the only way to stop the bleeding."

Tony sighed and his head slumped back against the floor. "I was afraid you'd say that."

Ziva took off her jacket, rolled it up, then gently placed it underneath his head. "I am going to need something sharp." _The one time I don't have my knife…_

Tony coughed and said, "Front pocket..."

Ziva fished through his pockets till she found his pocket knife. It was the same one he always carried with him. She opened it and found that it was extremely sharp. "This will do," she scanned the container and grabbed one of the bootleg DVDs, "Tony, this is going to hurt. Bite down on this and try not to move." She placed the DVD case between his teeth and he bit down on it. "On the count of three, yes?"

He nodded in agreement.

Ziva grabbed his knife and readied herself. She took a deep breath and began the countdown, "One…"

Tony whimpered and his breath quickened in anticipation.

"Two…"

They both held their breath.

"Three!" Ziva plunged the knife in.

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" The DVD case did very little to muffle his scream. His eyes were shut, his body convulsed, and his hands frantically clawed against the floor.

Ziva was trying to wedge the knife underneath the bullet while simultaneously using her fingernail to try and clamp it, but it kept slipping out of her grip.

Tony's right hand came up and grabbed a handful of the back of her shirt. He was no longer screaming, but now tears were visibly streaming down his cheeks.

Ziva doubled her efforts. She knew Tony couldn't handle much more of this. Finally, she felt her fingernail catch a hold of something on the bullet and pulled. She felt it moving, but it caught on something just as she almost had it out.

Tony screamed again.

"I'm sorry, Tony! Hold on just a little longer. I almost have it..." She readjusted her grip and gave a it a firm yank. She felt it pop loose. Tony's body flinched and then he went completely limp. The DVD case he was biting on fell to the floor. Tony's head was lolled off to the side and his mouth was hanging open. Her heart skipped a beat, "Tony?!" Ziva put one hand over the bullet hole and checked his pulse with the other. _He's alive! Just passed out is all. _A wave a relief surged through her, but her job wasn't done yet. She still needed to stop the bleeding. She re-examined the wound. It ripped a little bit when she yanked the bullet out, but it was no longer gushing blood. More like a slow trickle. She slipped off her sweater and used it as a makeshift bandage to dress his wound. She tied it as tightly as she could and applied pressure with both hands.

Tony didn't so much as flinch.

Ziva sat there holding the bandage in dead silence. The only sound she could hear was her own labored breathing. She ever so slowly turned her head to look at Tony's face. He seemed so peaceful…completely unaware and free of pain. She reached over and brushed his cheek, suddenly feeling very alone. In a low voice, she said, "Please wake up, Tony," a single tear slid down her cheek, "I cannot do this alone."

**. . .**

_1142 hours, NCIS Headquarters, Washington Navy Yard_

Gibbs was stood in front of the window stared out at the navy yard. He checked his watch for the fourth time since he'd been standing there. It'd been hours since he'd heard from Tony or Ziva and he couldn't shake this feeling that something was wrong. He knew Tony and Ziva could handle themselves, but it didn't make a difference. He opened his cell phone and dialed Tony's number again. It went straight to voicemail. He snapped his phone shut and stuck it back in his pocket. "Where the hell are you, DiNozzo?"

"Boss?"

Gibbs turned around and found McGee staring at him.

"Everything alright?"

Gibbs gave him a questioning stare. "Have you heard from Tony and Ziva?"

"Yeah," he bent over his keyboard and started typing.

Gibbs walked over just as he was pulling up something on the plasma.

It was an aerial photo of the docks. He pointed to a spot on the map as he spoke, "My last contact with them was here at the North Expansion. They were checking out a West African cargo ship that pulled in two days ago."

_Without telling me. _"What about the GPS in their phones?"

**. . .**

_1204 hours, Norfolk Port Authority _

Ziva sat with Tony's head resting in her lap. She was brushing his hair off to the side with her fingers to help pass the time. He hadn't woken up yet, much to her dismay, but she was glad he was getting some rest. He wasn't bleeding anymore, but she knew that could change at any minute. If she didn't get him to a doctor he was going to die. She didn't possess the materials necessary to properly clean and stitch his wound. _I have to find a way out of this box. _She gently lifted his head up and slid out from underneath him while simultaneously placing her jacket back into its former position as his pillow. She stood up and frantically rubbed her arms. Since she had to give up both her jacket and sweater, she was freezing. She glanced around the container until her eyes landed on an air vent in the back corner of the container. She climbed up on top of one of the wooden crates and peered outside. She scanned around as much as she could, but she couldn't see anything. "HELLO?! Anybody?!" Nothing but silence answered her and she smacked the side of the container. "Damn it!"

"What's with all the yelling?"

"Tony?" Ziva turned and saw Tony trying to sit up. "No. No. No," she jumped down off the crate and rushed to his side, gently pushing him back down to the floor, "You must not move, Tony. I stopped the bleeding, but if you keep moving, I may not be able to stop it again."

"Ahhh…I'm not feeling so good."

Ziva gently ran a hand through his hair. "I know, Tony. I know." His features had already began to pale. The blood loss was definitely taking its toll.

"We need to get out of here, Ziva."

She sighed. "I am trying, but the door is knocked up tight."

He giggled, "LOCKED up tight, Ziva."

"Whatever. The point is that the door is locked, no one is around, and you are…" She managed to stop herself before she actually said it, but they both knew what she meant. An uncomfortable silence fell over them. Ziva stood up and unconsciously scratched the back of her head.

Tony spoke up first, "Ziva, I'm gonna be fine. We just need to figure out a way to let someone know we're in here."

Ziva rubbed her forehead. "And how do you suggest we do that, Tony?"

"I don't know. Maybe fire a few rounds out of the ventilation shafts? Someone's bound to hear em and come running."

"I do not think that is a good idea, Tony, considering what happened the last time one of us fired a weapon in here. Besides, if they did not hear the firefight earlier, then I doubt they will hear anything now."

Tony coughed a few times before answering, "You're right. Then we're back to option one."

Ziva sighed, knowing full well what he meant. "Gibbs." She sat down next to Tony and checked his bandage.

Tony reached out and squeezed her hand. They locked eyes again, but this time his eyes softened. They were filled with kindness, longing, and certainty. It was if she could see directly into his soul. "Everything's gonna be okay, Ziva."

Tony's gesture caused butterflies to start buzzing around in her stomach. Ziva was speechless. She hadn't felt like this in a long time. She was supposed to be the cold-blooded assassin. Brave in the face of danger and calm in the midst of a crisis, but here she was on the brink of tears because of this immature, nosy, childish man lying in front of her who drove her crazy on a daily basis and, for the life of her, she couldn't figure out why. She placed her other hand on his cheek. "I just hope he finds us in time."

Tony laughed, "Yeah, you and me bot…"

Suddenly the container shook violently and sent both of them flying in opposite directions. Ziva crashed into the wall behind her and Tony bounced along the floor until he smashed into one of the crates and landed on his stomach.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Tony's scream filled the container and sent shivers down Ziva's spine. "Tony!" The container was still moving and it made it difficult for her to keep her balance as she tried to make her way towards Tony. When she reached him, she rolled him over onto his back. He was clutching his wound again, still screaming. She immediately began trying to move his hands to take a look, but he was in so much pain that he wouldn't move his hands. "Tony! TONY! Move your hands!" He was still screaming, but she finally managed to pry his hands away and pull up the bandage enough to get a look. Blood was gushing out again and, to make matters worse, the entry wound had torn again. "Oh no!" Ziva couldn't hold her emotions back any more and tears started streaming freely down her face. She placed both hands over his wound and pushed down as hard as she could. Tony screamed again and she felt like someone had plunged a dagger right into her heart. _Oh God! Please, please, please do not let him die!_

**. . .**

Gibbs was driving like a mad man. He tore through most of the port until he finally reached the North Expansion. He eased off the accelerator to navigate through a narrow opening and past a large forklift before he hit the brakes. He pushed the door open and immediately began scanning the area. He couldn't see Tony and Ziva's car anywhere. He started to give an order to McGee, "See if you can find the…" A faint scream interrupted him mid-sentence. "McGee, did you hear that?"

"Yeah, boss, it came from over there." McGee pointed to a row of double stacked containers over to their left.

Gibbs started jogging in the direction the sound came from when they heard another, fainter scream.

"Okay, I heard it that time," Lake chimed in.

McGee looked between the two of them, "Yeah, but why does it sound like it's getting farther away?"

"Good question." It didn't make any sense to Gibbs until his eyes landed on the forklift and he noticed that it was carrying away a container. "McGee, the forklift!"

The three men took off in a dead sprint towards the forklift.

"Hey, stop," McGee yelled.

"STOP! Hey!" Gibbs banged on the side of the forklift.

The driver finally noticed him and hit the brakes. He held up both of his hands and shrugged his shoulders. He clearly didn't know what was going on.

Gibbs unclipped his badge from his belt and flashed it at the driver. "Federal Agents! Lower that container! NOW!"

The driver shook his head and pulled a lever. The container started to lower.

Gibbs re-clipped the badge onto his belt and started yelling, "TONY?! ZIVA?! Are you in there?"

They heard a voice come from inside the container, "Gibbs? Gibbs! In here!" Someone started banging on the side of the container.

Gibbs felt adrenaline surge through his system. "Ziva, hold on! We're coming!"

"Gibbs, hurry!"

Gibbs and McGee started undoing the locks on the door as soon as the container touched down.

McGee yelled, "We're coming guys!"

They yanked the door open and Gibbs was met with the smell of sweat and gunpowder. He saw Tony bleeding onto the floor and Ziva kneeling over him with both hands pressing down on his wound. The thing that surprised him the most was the fact that Ziva was crying. He was momentarily stunned until Ziva's scream snapped him back into reality.

"Gibbs, help him!"

He turned to the two men behind him, "McGee, call it in! Lake, go get the first aid kit from the car!" McGee immediately pulled out his phone and began dialing, but Lake stood frozen in place. "NOW, LAKE!" The man looked up at him, then took off running towards the car. Gibbs turned around and ran to Tony's side. He looked out of it. "DiNozzo? Hey," Gibbs lightly smacked both of his cheeks, "Stay with us." He over at Ziva. "What happened?"

Through her sobs she managed to say, "He…he has been shot."

"By who?" She ignored him and wouldn't look him in the eye. He put a hand on her shoulder. "Ziva! Who shot him?!"

"I did."

Anger slowly started to spread throughout Gibbs' body. "And how the HELL did that happen?!"

**. . .**

_There you have it! I hope y'all enjoyed this chapter. It was a lot of fun to write. I know it was cruel to interrupt their little TIVA moment, but I just couldn't help myself. I wonder how they're gonna solve the case without Tony and Ziva finding the false wall. I guess you guys are gonna have to stick around to find out. Leave a review. Let me know what you guys think about the direction I'm taking this. As always, thank you for reading. Until next time…_

Updated 4/15/20: Spelling and Grammar fixes


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